The group tasked to hunt for a Technical Advisor for Coach Kwasi Appiah hopes to conclude its work in the coming days, after former Black Stars head coach Milovan Rajevac and Flemming Serritslev, a Dane, emerged as contenders for the top job.
Last week Coach Appiah left the three-man committeeââ¬â¢s work cut out for them after picking his former boss Rajevac and Serritslev as his preferred candidates out of a four-man shortlist to serve in a new capacity as advisor.
The Fred Crentsil-led three-man search team which includes, former FA vice-president Fred Pappoe and the FAââ¬â¢s technical director, Francis Oti-Akenteng, hopes to conclude due diligence work on the two candidatesââ¬â¢ backgrounds and then immediately begin talks with them on their salary expectations.
A committee source disclosed to the Graphic Sports that the group had almost concluded background checks of the two and hope to commence negotiations on their compensation packages before the GFA Executive Committee makes its final choice for the newly-established role within the national teamââ¬â¢s technical structure.
ââ¬ÅWe are not far from completing our work. Weââ¬â¢re almost done with our due diligence on the candidates and very soon weââ¬â¢ll begin discussions with them on their compensation expectation, after which weââ¬â¢ll send our report to the Executive Committee in the order of ranking,â⬠said the source.
Contrary to initial expectations that a new Technical Advisor will be named to begin work by the time the Stars commence the 2015 Nations Cup qualifying campaign next month, the search committee is not working with Ghanaââ¬â¢s qualifier against Uganda on September 10 in mind.
ââ¬ÅAlthough we donââ¬â¢t have a deadline within which to conclude our work, we recognise time is of the essence.
ââ¬ÅWe want to get it over and done with very soon, but we are certainly not doing it before the Uganda match because we donââ¬â¢t want to disrupt Kwasi Appiahââ¬â¢s preparations for the match.ââ¬
Rajevac, 64, is seen as favourite for the job, having previously worked in Ghana as Appiahââ¬â¢s boss between 2008 and 2010, during which the Serbian guided the Stars to reach the quarter-final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and the final of the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola months earlier.
At 67, Serritslev looks the best outsider with a CV which includes working as the assistant manager of the Danish national team which won the European Championship in 1992 before later becoming head coach of the Danish U-21 team.
He also handled the Armenia U-21 team from 2009 to 2010.
Source: Graphic